Àrea Metropolitana de Barcelona

The AMB's Department of International Cooperation recently published the call for the 3rd edition of the Social Ideas Contest, the premise of which is to put the components of life jackets and inflatable dinghies, clothing and other materials that have accumulated on the island of Lesbos to new use. This contest is intended for all pupils and university students enrolled in the 2019-2020 academic year who are studying industrial design or technical industrial engineering.

This year, the students have the opportunity to submit proposals in two categories, giving new life to, on the one hand, life jackets and, on the other, inflatable dinghies, using clothes and other materials found on the island.

The first two editions were a resounding success, with 32 submitted projects (altogether). The criteria used to assess the projects include sustainability and social, economic and environmental viability. Not to mention the originality, authenticity and creativity of the proposals.

The competition puts the spotlight on and raises awareness of the rights of refugees in the Mediterranean and environmental rights. The contest's potential lies in its connection to several current problems, which have become intertwined in a globalised world and are structural in origin. It also gives students the opportunity to get involved in an active, purposeful and charitable manner.
It is important to keep in mind that almost half a million life jackets, inflatable dinghies and other materials brought by people seeking refuge have accumulated at various points of the island of Lesbos since 2015.

Experimental Design Projects

The contest is part of the project "Recycling in Lesbos: A strategy to guarantee the rights of refugees and environmental rights", developed by the association Lesvos Solidarity with support from the AMB.
After publishing the contest terms and conditions, some schools and university design centres expressed an interest in including this challenge in the subject Experimental Design Projects. In doing so, the teaching staff promote participation as a means of teaching design and raising awareness, with a focus on rights in the Mediterranean.

The contest offers students the chance to design a charitable project based on the real need to uphold environmental rights and actually develop it, as the winning proposals will be manufactured in the Lesvos Solidarity Safe Passage Bags workshop [https://lesvossolidarity.org/en/]. It also helps to increase their awareness of the situation facing refugees and migrants in the eastern Mediterranean.